Le Mans 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours

[FB]

As no one was hurt I feel it appropriate to say that in the highway code it clearly states overtaking on the inside is not allowed and is dangerous. I think this proves the point.

Everyone was very lucky in that, especially the marshalls and photographers.

 

[Speshal]

I'm pretty sure the photographer needed some new shorts.

 

[Fenderman]

I'm pretty sure the photographer needed some new shorts.

I did and I'm sitting comfortably in my living room

 

[Galahad]

Update at 2 1/4 hours, with all the leaders having made their first two stops; Audi lead 1-2 with cars 1 and 2, Peugeot 7 is close behind with Wurz at the wheel and showing better economy. Bourdais in no. 9 is also not far adrift, about 10s covering the lead four cars. Oliver Gavin is leading GTE for Corvette having got lucky during the SC period.

 

[guitargraham]

that wouldnt have been that great with the old open cockpit car either...big phew!

 

[tooncheese]

Both Audi's have now pitted again, Wurz leads the way.

 

[Galahad]

Both lead Peugeots due for a stop

 

[Jos the Boss]

Ants in GO GO GO

 

[Galahad]

#007 Aston about to rejoin after 2 1/2 hours of repairs

 

[Matthew Little]

Thanks for that Bro (it didn't feel right to 'like' it). You can see the car bouncing as it goes sideways in the gravel, in the past I think a car would have become airborne at that speed. Maybe the shark fins aren't so bad after all

They just showed that crash on the Speed coverage(.........OUCH!!!....OUCH!!!!........).....that was one of the most violent crashes I've seen in years in any race(the only crashes that come to mind watching the footage above were Kenny Brack's in the fall Texas IndyCar race in 2003, Katherine Legge's at Road America in 2006 & Natacha Gachnang's at Abu Dhabi in GT1 last year....). Galahad's post a few posts earlier is spot-on.....that car likely would've caught air w/out the shark fin; thank heavens McNish is all right, though.

 

[Matthew Little]

Speed Channel: LeMans 24 LiveBlog

Catching everyone up to speed(quoting the above article)...............

--4:30 p.m.

The 79th Le Mans 24 Hours is underway, but the first hour was highlighted by a spectacular accident by the No. 3 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 TDI of Allan McNish. The Scot made contact with the No. 58 Luxury Ferrari of Anthony Beltoise heading past the Dunlop Bridge, sending the Audi upside down and heavily into the barriers. McNish miraculously climbed from the car under his own power, although it's unclear if any photographers or corner workers have been injured. The safety car has been out for the better part of 30 minutes now as work is underway to repair the armco barrier, which was heavily damaged.

--7:00 p.m.: With four hours in the books, Audi appears to still hold the upper edge, although only marginally over diesel rival Peugeot. The No. 2 machine, now in the hands of Marcel Fassler, enjoys a 20+ second lead over the Anthony Davidson-driven No. 7 Peugeot in second. Despite a brake lock-up at Aranage, which cost him around 30 seconds, the No. 9 Peugeot of Simon Pagenaud runs in third. The No. 48 Team ORECA Matmut Oreca 03 Nissan continues to lead LMP2. The same is the case for Corvette Racing, which is out front in GTE-Pro. However, the battle for second place shuffled up when the No. 55 BMW M3 GT suffered a tire puncture, giving the sister No. 56 car of Joey Hand a comfortable second. Toni Vilander runs in third aboard his No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia.
--6:25 p.m.: The No. 2 Audi R18 TDI of Benoit Treluyer now holds command, ahead of the the Anthony Davidson-driven No. 7 Peugeot 908 in second. Simon Pagenaud's Peugeot runs in third, all separated by less than one minute. Alexandre Premat paces LMP2 in his Team ORECA Matmut Oreca 03 Nissan, while the No. 74 Corvette Racing C6.R, now in the hands of Jan Magnussen, paces GTE-Pro.
--5:20 p.m.: MEDICAL UPDATE: After being checked out by circuit and Audi doctors, Allan McNish is being transported to a local hospital for precautionary measures. It appears the two-time Le Mans winner is fine. Also, it appears no photographers or corner workers were injured in the accident, either.
--5:05 p.m.: After a 1 hour and 12-minute safety car for Allan McNish's massive accident, racing resumed. The No. 1 Audi of Timo Bernhard continues to hold control of the race, ahead of the pole-sitting machine of Benoit Treluyer in second. The No. 48 Oreca 03-Nissan of Alexandre Premat leads LMP2, while Oliver Gavin aboard the No. 74 Corvette is ahead in GTE-Pro.

 

[Brogan]

A 1 hour and 12 minute safety car?!

What on earth for?
Surely it didn't take that long to get him out of the car and the debris cleared?

 

[Galahad]

Peugeot now quadruple-stinting on Davidson's #7 car. I think overall that car holds the advantage since it's consistently going a lap further between stops than the #2, and the speed advantage of the Audi isn't enough to make the difference up.

Obviously rain or safety cars will play a huge part in deciding the race. The #1 Audi isn't out of it either, Dumas was the fastest man on the track until his silly spin at Tertre Rouge.

 

[Galahad]

Bro - they repaired the barrier (unlike the marshals at Monaco). Safety is paramount and all that.

 

[Matthew Little]

After five hours at La Sarthe, here are the class leaders..........
LMP-1: M. Fassler, #2 Audi Sport Team Joest(Audi R18 TDI)
LMP-2: D. Kraihamer, #48 Team Oreca Matmut(Oreca 03-Nissan)
GTE-Pro: R. Westbrook, #74 Corvette Racing(Chev. Corvette C-6R)
GTE-Am: I. Bornhauser, #50 Larbre Competition(Chev. Corvette ZR1)

 

[Matthew Little]

A 1 hour and 12 minute safety car?!

What on earth for?
Surely it didn't take that long to get him out of the car and the debris cleared?

I suspect that the reason they took that long, besides clearing the debris and making sure everyone was safe, was to make sure the barriers were safe in case there was another accident in that particular part of the track.........

 

[Galahad]

The #74 Corvette gained over a minute during the SC period as the rest of the GTE-Pro field were caught behind a different SC. The #55 BMW has progressively clawed back about half of the time lost though. The other main frontrunner, the #51 Ferrari, has been in the gravel at Mulsanne Corner, but the snatch vehicle got it back on track relatively quickly.

 

[KekeTheKing]

The #74 Corvette gained over a minute during the SC period

Good ole American ingenuity

 

[Matthew Little]

Good ole American ingenuity

My sentiments exactly on that one, Keke.......

 

[tooncheese]

The video for those without Eurosport or whatever it is broadcast on. My uninformed first look suggests McNish didn't allow for the speed difference to the Ferrari, and I'm not entirely sure he would have got it stopped in time anyway. Was the crash down into Maison Blanche? I can't tell that easily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Nb0Ienv6k